Pressure Relief Device and Housing

This application is a continuation of international application No. PCT/EP2024/051761 filed on Jan. 25, 2024, and claims the benefit of German application No. 10 2023 102 182.6 filed on Jan. 30, 2023, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

The present invention relates to a pressure relief device for opening a relief opening in a housing, in particular a battery storage housing, and a housing, in particular a battery storage housing, for receiving one or more battery modules.

An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure relief device which provides a safe operating method and has a simple structural design.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a pressure relief device for opening a relief opening in a housing, in particular a battery storage housing, having a base member which can be arranged in the relief opening and which has a passage which connects an inlet and an outlet for the throughflow of a medium, a closure element which, when a defined activation pressure has been exceeded, can be moved from a closed position in which the closure element closes the passage into an open position in which the closure element releases the passage, and a cover which at least partially covers the closure element and/or the passage and in order to release the passage carries out a setting movement with the closure element.

In particular batteries which are received in a battery storage housing can overheat and degas in the event of a defect, for example, a short-circuit, or in the event of excessively high ambient temperatures. In this instance, large quantities of gas which have to be discharged from the housing can be released.

The pressure relief device can, when the defined activation pressure is exceeded, that is to say, in the event of an excess pressure in the interior of the housing, for example, enable a so-called burst pressure, a discharge of the medium, in particular a gas, from an interior of the housing.

Preferably, the closure element as a result of a gas pressure, which exceeds the defined activation pressure, inside the housing is moved as a result of a setting movement from the closed position to the open position and thereby releases the passage.

Preferably, the passage is released by the setting movement of the closure element from the closed position into the open position in such a manner that the medium flows via the inlet through the passage and out of the outlet. The medium can also flow through the pressure relief device in the opposite direction.

As a result of the cover which at least partially covers the closure element and/or the passage, a protection from external influences, for example, dust, dirt, fluids and the like, may be provided.

In a further development of the pressure relief device, the cover may be coupled to the closure element and carry out the setting movement together with a setting movement of the closure element from the closed position into the open position.

Preferably, the closure element and the cover may be actively connected to each other.

By the closure element and the cover being actively connected to each other, the closure element and the cover can be moved together into the open position when either the setting movement of the closure element or the setting movement of the cover is controlled.

An advantageous embodiment of the pressure relief device may make provision for the cover to be fitted to the closure element.

In particular, the cover may be fitted to the closure element by means of a plug connection, locking connection, weld connection, adhesive-bonding connection or the like.

Preferably, there may be provided on the cover one or more retention elements by means of which the cover may be fitted to the closure element.

The cover may be both releasably fitted to the closure element and securely fixed to the closure element.

In an alternative embodiment of the pressure relief device, there may be provision for the cover to be formed integrally with the closure element or with a component of the closure element.

Preferably, the cover and the closure element or the component of the closure element may be in the form of a common shaped member, for example, plastics material shaped member.

For example, the cover and the closure element or the cover and the component of the closure element may be in the form of an integral injection-molded component.

A particularly preferred further development of the pressure relief device may make provision for the outlet in the open position of the closure element and the cover to have a flow path free from diversions in the radial direction for the medium which flows through the outlet to an outer side.

Preferably, the medium can be diverted after flowing through the passage by the closure element in the radial direction and then discharged in the radial direction without any diversions to the outer side.

As a result of the flow path, which is free from diversions in a radial direction, of the outlet the medium may be able to be discharged with a low pressure loss to the outer side. As a result of the pressure relief device, a maximized volume flow may thereby be able to be discharged from the interior of the housing to the outer side.

Another advantageous embodiment of the pressure relief device may additionally make provision for the cover and the closure element in the open position to be arranged in a position which is raised with respect to the base member and in which the passage through a free circumferential flow cross section of the outlet to an outer side is released.

In particular, the cover and the closure element are moved as a result of the setting movement into the position raised with respect to the base member.

In the open position or the raised position, the base member and the closure element and the cover may be arranged with spacing from each other.

In particular in the open position, the free circumferential flow cross section of the outlet is formed by a spacing between the base member and the closure element and the cover.

Preferably, the outlet has a flow cross section which is formed in a radial direction completely circumferentially between the base member and the closure element and the cover.

An embodiment of the pressure relief device may make provision for the cover to have a cover portion and a circumferential portion which delimits the cover portion, wherein the circumferential portion extends in such a manner that it at least partially covers an outer circumference of the closure element.

Preferably, the cover is in the form of a shaped member, for example, a plastics material shaped member, in particular an injection-molded element.

In particular, the cover has a circular geometry in plan view. The cover may have a plate-like or pot-like shape.

Preferably, the circumferential portion surrounds the cover portion completely circumferentially and extends from the cover portion in a form which is bent with respect to the base member so that the circumferential portion covers the outer circumference of the closure element.

Preferably, there is provision for an end of the circumferential portion to extend in the direction of the base member substantially up to the height of a lower side, which faces the passage, of the closure element.

Advantageously, with the pressure relief device there may additionally be provision in the open position for the diversion-free flow path of the outlet to the outer side to be formed by a spacing which is formed in a setting movement direction between an end portion of the cover and the base member, in particular an edge region, which delimits the passage, of the base member.

Preferably, the spacing provided in the setting movement direction between the end portion of the cover and the base member, in particular the edge portion, which delimits the passage, of the base member, may be 10 mm or more, preferably 20 mm or more, in a particularly preferred manner 30 mm or more.

In one embodiment of the pressure relief device, there may additionally be provision for the closure element to have a gas passage through which in the closed position of the closure element a gas exchange is provided between an inlet-side interior and an outlet-side outer side.

As a result of the gas exchange through the gas passage, in the closed position of the closure element a pressure compensation may be enabled between the interior of the housing and an outer side.

In particular, as a result of the gas passage, a gas exchange between the interior and the outer side is enabled and a fluid exchange between the interior and the outer side is prevented.

Preferably, the gas exchange may be enabled through the gas passage both from the interior in the direction of the outer side and in the opposite flow direction.

Preferably, the gas passage may be formed by one or more apertures, channels, holes or the like.

A further development of the pressure relief device may make provision for a gas-permeable and fluid-non-permeable element, in particular a permeable membrane, to be provided in the gas passage.

In particular, the permeable membrane enables the gas exchange between the interior and the outer side and prevents penetration of fluid from the outer side into the interior of the housing.

The membrane may be formed from any suitable material which enables the gas exchange and which prevents the penetration of fluid from the outer side in the direction of the interior of the housing.

Advantageously, with the pressure relief device there may be provision for providing a setting device by means of which, when the defined activation pressure is exceeded, the setting movement of the closure element and/or the cover from the closed position into the open position can be controlled.

The setting device may have a pressure activation apparatus which is associated with the inlet and on which an inlet-side gas pressure, in particular a gas pressure in the interior of the housing, acts.

Preferably, the pressure activation apparatus may be configured to control the setting device when the defined activation pressure is exceeded and to initiate the setting movement of the closure element and/or the cover.

A preferred further development of the pressure relief device may additionally make provision for the setting device to have an energy storage element which is actively connected to the closure element and/or the cover and which, when the defined activation pressure is exceeded, controls the setting movement of the closure element and/or the cover.

In particular, the energy storage element is in the form of one or more resilient elements.

Preferably, in the closed position of the closure element and the cover the energy storage element is arranged in an activated configuration, for example, a pretensioned configuration. When the defined activation pressure has been exceeded, the activated energy storage element is initiated in order to act on the closure element and/or the cover and to control the setting movement of the closure element and the cover into the open position.

In a further development of the pressure relief device, the base member and/or the closure element and/or the cover may at least partially be formed from a composite material or a thermoplastic plastics material.

Preferably, the base member and/or the closure element and/or the cover may be formed from any thermoplastic plastics material or any composite material, for example, PBT-GF30.